For the City Times

Wisconsin Rapids unable to salvage a game in Fond du Lac

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – After Wisconsin Rapids (25-9) clinched a playoff spot on Saturday, Fond du Lac (13-20) swept the Rafters in a double-header from Herr-Baker Field on Sunday.

It was a quick start for Fond du Lac in game one of the double-header. After starter Jon Mierzwa (2-0) worked a 1-2-3 start in the game’s first inning for the Dock Spiders, the offense went to work. Chris Cornelius and Brandon Wulff singled to lead off the inning. Thomas Luevano drove in the first run of the game with a single. AJ Lewis followed with a base hit and run batted in, while Jason Santana drove in two with a single to give Fond du Lac a 4-0 lead after one.

Three more runs came in to score for the Dock Spiders in the second. Cornelius reached on an error while Luke Mangeri doubled. Wulff, Luevano, and Lewis each drove in a run with hits to push the lead to 7-0.

The Rafters got on the board in the third inning when Will Davis was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Dustin Woodcock drove a single to left, scoring Davis to pull the game to 7-1.

In the third, the Dock Spiders tagged on four more runs, highlighted by three doubles and capped off by a Wulff home-run to take an 11-1 lead.

Two more runs came in to score for the Dock Spiders in the fourth on a Rafters error, giving Fond du Lac a lead of 13-1. Nick Anderson singled in a run in the seventh to score the Rafters second run. Mierzwa earns the win while Same Carver (1-3) is tagged with the loss.

Game two started off like the first for the Dock Spiders offense, tagging on five runs against TJ Fetters (0-1). Joe Breaux led off the inning with a walk while Luevano and Nick Fortes were hit by pitches. Andrew Bullock hit a sacrifice fly, and Colin Ridout unloaded the bases with a double. Eric Gilgenbach doubled in a run to give the Dock Spiders a 5-0 lead after one.

Bryson Stott led off the second with a walk for the Rafters, and came in to score on a Wyatt Mascarella single to left. With the bases loaded in the third for the Rafters, Stott came through with a two-RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-3.

With two runners on in the fifth, the Rafters had the tying run on the bases, but a double play induced by reliever Connor Johnson ended the Rafters threat.

Jake Guenther and Nick Anderson led off the seventh by reaching base, followed by Stott who singled to load the bases in the last inning. Jake Rohen finished the game with a strikeout for the Dock Spiders to end the game and preserve the 5-3 game.

Wisconsin Rapids returns home on Monday against Rockford for a 7:05 pm first pitch. Coverage of the game starts at 6:50 pm on AM 1320 WFHR and WFHR.com, the Rafters Radio Network.